Caleb Williams showed he can be a star quarterback in the NFL for a long time versus the Cleveland Browns. Detroit Lion playmaker Amon-Ra St. Brown did everything in his power to help his team in a losing effort in Week 15. He went berserk against the Rams’ secondary. The Chargers’ defense has been just as good as any in the NFL, and that’s because Tuli Tuipulotu has been as good as any pass rusher in the NFL in a dominant season.
Here is my breakdown of how each former USC football star fared in NFL Week 15:
Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams put together his best showing of the season. There was no more of him making highlight reel plays and less of him making poor decisions and inaccurate throws. Caleb played a clean and efficient game, and as a result, the Bears dominated the Browns for 60 minutes. For the first time, the Bears displayed an offense that had its run game be a complement and have its passing game be the main course. Even in the freezing weather, Caleb delivered a special performance, giving a great deal of confidence that he can do the same heading into the playoffs.
Woody Marks
Woody Marks exited last week’s game with an ankle injury, but good reports followed as it was stated that he could have returned in that game if needed. Marks before injury managed to post 7 carries for 30 yards. Mark’s still appears to be the lead back, but with Jawhar Jordan running for 101 yards on 15 carries versus the Cardinals, he could have new competition for his role.
Calen Bullock
Calen Bullock was great in coverage versus Arizona, with 2 pass deflections and 4 stops. It is continuing to look like an even better year 2 than his rookie season for Bullock. With 3 games left, he already has as many tackles as he did last year.
Isaiah Pola-Mao
The Eagles dominated the Raiders 31-0, and the Raiders did not offer much resistance in this game, nor did they have any success offensively. Maxx Crosby and Pola-Mao continue to look like the only players on this Raiders defense worth mentioning. Pola-Mao had another big game, as he tallied up 10 tackles versus the Eagles.
Tuli Tuipulotu
The Chargers’ defense has been fantastic all season long and one of the biggest reasons behind a 10-4 record. Tuli Tuipulotu is one of the driving forces for this defense’s elite play. It was another 2 sack outing for Tuipulotu versus the Chiefs. Tuipulotu has 12 sacks on the season, and he has blown away all the high expectations set for him to start this season.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Philip Rivers did not look that bad in his first start in 5 years on Sunday. However, the passing attack was not that effective, to the surprise of no one. Rivers only managed to throw for 120 yards, and that directly impacted Pittman Jr. and the Colts’ entire receiving corps. Pittman Jr. had 5 targets in the game and only finished with 3 catches for 26 yards in a loss to Seattle.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold did not post up great numbers versus the Colts on Sunday as he finished the game with zero touchdowns and 271 yards passing. Darnold and the Seahawks offense struggled mightily in the red zone but were good enough to pull away from a Daniel Jones-less Colts. Darnold will need to be the MVP candidate, version of himself, Thursday night to pull off a victory over NFC West rival the Rams.
Leonard Williams
While Jonathan Taylor still ran for about 87 yards, the Seahawks were able to limit him to 3.5 yards per carry and only 11 yards on his longest gain on the season. That was due to Leonard Williams doing a great job plugging up the middle. Williams finished the game with 5 stops, and he has shown this season he is still one of the best defensive tackles in the game.
Talanoa Hufanga
The Broncos’ defense did not have its best day against the Packers, and it was the offense that carried the defense to victory this time around. Hufanga had his least impactful game of the season, and it was felt as the Packers had great success in the first half. Hufanga finished with only 3 tackles in this game. Moving forward, Hufanga will need to avoid games like this as the Broncos just lost Brandon Jones, their other safety, to a pec injury.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Amon-Ra St. Brown played like one of the best receivers in the NFL. St. Brown posted up a dominant stat line of 13 catches for 164 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. The Rams’ secondary had zero answer for St. Brown or Jameson Williams. The Lions will need this same kind of play from their best players, like St. Brown, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Jordan Addison
The Vikings offense outscored the Dallas Cowboys in their second straight win after a 4 game skid. Jordan Addison finished the game with 66 yards, mostly due because of 58 58-yard catch. Addison only tallied one other catch in this game. J.J. McCarthy’s development is getting encouraging, but still, his connection with his top two receivers is not showing the progress it needs to just yet.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Amon-Ra St. Brown and Caleb Williams deliver in NFL Week 15
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